Dearborn Public Schools is celebrating its 80th anniversary over the 2024-25 school year.
The history of public schools in the Dearborn area dates back to the early 1800s, but the school district as it exists today was created in July 1944. That’s when the larger Fordson and smaller Dearborn school districts merged. Following state law at the time, the new district was named – and is still officially called – the School District of the City of Dearborn. (The Springwells Township Unit School District and Fordson had merged years earlier.)
As part of the 80th anniversary celebration, the district has created a new logo to use for the year and will be including snippets of the district’s history in newsletters, on social media, and elsewhere. The Dearborn Historical Museum is assisting with providing information to share from its archives. For example, check out this 1946 Dearborn map, including the public and private schools at the time.
Several school buildings still in the district existed even before the merger – although some had different names or grade levels. Those older schools include DuVall Elementary, Henry Ford Elementary, Fordson High, Lindbergh Elementary, Lowrey K-8, Maples Elementary, McDonald Elementary, Oakman Elementary, Salina Intermediate, Woodworth Middle, and Whitmore Bolles Elementary.